Chapter 42: Merciless.

Rigel walked toward the blacksmith shop with a trail of blood and fire behind him. He massacred everyone he saw and burned all the buildings he passed by. He could hear the screams of people being burned alive, showing what would happen to Players if they dared to hunt him. He wanted to show the Player Association that they had just made a big mistake.

He slowly opened the door and saw the blacksmith and his workers trembling in fear. He could see it in their eyes that they didn't want to die. Before they could open their mouths, Rigel manipulated the Mana in the shop and turned it into fire, burning them all to death.

When Rigel was about to grab the scales that he had left earlier, he noticed the blacksmith was trying to steal them from him. He saw the scales had been placed inside a bag and there was a paper of his face on the counter. He was glad that he didn't show any sympathy toward him because, in the end, humans would take the opportunity that was given to them.

(At the same time near the Sacred Dungeon)

Madam scoffed as she wiped the blood off her left cheek, but the cut was so deep that it kept coming out. She never thought she would get pushed back because of how annoying the assassins were. She was stronger, but their coordination was incredible and she was slowly losing her footing in the fight.

Although Madam was in a tight spot, she single-handedly killed dozens of the assassins. She knew she had contributed more than anyone in the tower, but he didn't know if she would be able to leave the battle alive.

She looked at the 10 Fingers, and their situation was the same as hers, some of them were badly injured. She believed it would be wise to retreat by using the Return Scroll, but some of the assassins cast an anti-magic area that prevented her from using it. That anti-magic was one of the few tricks that the Resistance had, and there was no solution to that spell.

"Madam, 3 minutes until the anti-magic spell disappears," The 9th Finger informed. "Should we retreat?" He asked.

"Of course. Our lives are more important than theirs," Madam answered and stared at Aria who barely broke a sweat. "They're indeed formidable opponents. We have reduced their force quite a lot, and it's good enough," she continued.

"We will make it out ali—" Before the 9th Finger could finish his sentence, his head fell off by Aria who suddenly appeared behind him.

Madam was so sure she kept her eyes on Aria, but to her surprise, the one she was staring at was just a body double. She didn't know that the real Aria had changed his appearance and hairstyles without her noticing.

Madam swung her daggers at Aria, but Aria dodged them and sent 3 assassins to deal with her. She was pissed because those assassins weren't trying to harm her, it was just a distraction, and just like that, she had lost Aria's location. When she looked around, the assassin that was on par with the 10th Finger suddenly became too overwhelming for him. He got his throat slit, and then a dagger pierced into his chest.

Every Aria's move went unnoticed, and his ability to change appearance in the blink of an eye was more dangerous than any skill. Madam found out the terrifying truth about the Night Terror, and she understood why they were called Terror.

"Gather up! We just need to survive for a minute!" Madam shouted and immediately the remaining 8 Fingers came to her side. "Prioritize your life!" She ordered.

They were so focused on keeping an eye on each other's backs, that they didn't realize that all the assassins had the same appearance. They were shocked because not too long ago they had different appearances, but now they all looked the same. Not only that, they moved exactly the same way that it was impossible to differentiate them.

Madam tried to find out which one was Aria, and when she thought she had found him, the 6th Finger got his skull stabbed by a dagger. They had no idea what had happened, but they knew the one who killed him was Aria. When they tried to focus on him, all the assassins disappeared and reappeared again, and this time they had a different look again.

"Protect Madam's life!" The 1st Finger shouted and everyone immediately circled around Madam.

One of the assassins took his chance to kill one of the Fingers, and they were prepared for it because they knew it was Aria. But again, they were wrong and the 5th Finger died with his head rolling on the ground.

It all happened in less than a minute, and they were overwhelmed by how synchronized the assassins were. It was impressive and terrifying to look at, and when it hit the 1-minute mark, they all grabbed their Return Scroll. They ripped the scroll and managed to leave in time.

Aria looked at the dead bodies of the 10th, 9th, 6th, and 5th Fingers, and then he looked at the 27 assassins who died in the battle. He was displeased with the result, and it was a huge loss for the Lady. He didn't know what to say to the Lady when he came back.

He turned around and he raised his eyebrows when he saw the whole city was on fire. He didn't know what he should feel, so he decided to check on Rigel because staying there too long would be dangerous. When he disappeared, all the assassins disappeared, even the assassins that died.

Rigel was staring at the flames in front of him and how he had destroyed the whole city on his own. There were a few Players that were kept alive because he wanted them to tell the things that happened on the 1st floor. He didn't know how many lives he had killed, but the overwhelming power inside him kept growing.

"Rigel, it's time to leave," Aria said as he looked at the blood dripping on Eclairswille and the Rapier in his hands. "They would be here in any minute now," he added.

Rigel hummed as he sheathed his weapons and walked toward the tower. Aria was following him from behind, wondering what was in Rigel's head.

"Do you know about the trial?" Aria asked.

"Moving to another floor? Yeah, I know," Rigel answered.

"I'll be waiting for you on the 2nd floor, and make sure it's clear for when you enter the city," Aria said and then disappeared.

Rigel looked at the tower and proceeded to enter where he would be faced with a trial if he was strong enough to go to the 2nd floor. It was similar to the chamber of the tower back on Earth, and then a door opened in front of him. Unlike the first trial, this one was a solo trial, and he had to overcome the challenge that the tower had prepared for him.

Rigel entered the room, and it was a small arena with the same goblin leader from the trial. Before the goblin leader could lift its weapon, Rigel snapped his fingers and created small birds made of fire. He sent the birds to the goblin leader and they explored, devouring its flesh until there was nothing left behind.

The arena transformed into a hallway, and it led to a door on the other end. Rigel opened the door and it was the same blinding light as he entered the 1st floor. This time, he wasn't on top of a cliff, he was standing on the beach with a vast sea in front of him with little waves.

When he turned around, a forest was waiting for him to be explored. He could sense Aria's presence in there and knew exactly where he was.

"Welcome to the 2nd floor. The town is an hour of walking from here," Aria said as soon as Rigel entered the forest. "Although, it would be wise if you don't go to the nearest town. There's a village half a day from here, and it's one of our hideouts if you're interested," he added.

"Thanks for the offer, but I'm going to the town," Rigel responded and he was still as cold as he saw Vania's dead body. "I'm not planning on stopping," he glanced at Aria.

Aria nodded with understanding, and then he grabbed something from inside his black robe. It was a map of the 2nd floor, and he gave it to Rigel so he would know where to go.

"The marked spots on the map are your safe areas. The village that I mentioned earlier, is called Sevan, and there's a blacksmith shop there that you can use," Aria pointed at the village on the map. "If you need any information related to the situation on the 2nd floor, go into the pub and ask for Rose Wine. The bartender will tell you everything you need to know," he added.

"Thank you," Rigel folded the map and put it in his pocket.

Aria nodded and when he went behind the tree, his presence disappeared. Rigel unsheathed Eclairswille and went to Besma Town, where the Player Association building was. Just